German industrial technology firm Siemens entered into an agreement this week to purchase Plymouth, IN-based Atlas 3D Inc., a producer of software that provides design engineers with the ideal print orientation and necessary support structures for additive parts made with direct metal laser sintering (DMLS) printers.

“We welcome Atlas 3D to the Siemens community as the newest member of our additive manufacturing team. Our solutions industrialize additive manufacturing for large enterprises, 3D printing service bureaus, design firms, and CAD designers,” Zvi Feuer, senior vice president of manufacturing engineering software at Siemens Digital Industries Software, said in a company press release. “The cloud-based Sunata software makes it easy for designers to determine the optimal way to 3D print parts for high quality and repeatability. The combination of Sunata with the robust CAE additive manufacturing tools in Simcenter enables a ‘right first time’ approach for industrial 3D printing.”

A major challenge facing the additive manufacturing industry is a high rate of 3D print failures, according to Siemens. Atlas 3D’s Sunata software allows designers to simulate part orientation and support structures with thermal distortion analysis, reducing downstream analysis to meet design parameters.

“The power of Sunata is that it equips designers to more easily design parts that are printable, which helps companies more quickly realize the benefits of additive manufacturing,” said Chad Barden, Atlas 3D’s chief executive officer, in a statement. “As part of Siemens, we look forward to introducing Sunata to customers who already have Siemens’ AM solutions and can achieve new efficiencies in their front-end design-for-additive process, as well as companies who have yet to start their additive manufacturing journey.”

Siemens did not reveal the financial terms of the deal. The transaction in slated to close this month.

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